Sorel-cement product and method



Reissues! Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOREL-CEMENT PRODUCTAND IVIETHOD OF MAKING THE SAME tion of Pennsylvania No Drawing.Original No. 1,724,945, dated August 20, 1929, Serial No. 119,756, June30, 1926. Application for reissue August 18, 1931, Serial 9 Claims.

My invention relates to the making of Sorel cement products with orwithout the use of aggregates and is especially adapted to such com--position when used for under fioorings, under coatings or primers forthe preparation of floors,

walls or surfaces to be covered with either fabricated materials orcoatings, such as paints, lacquers, etc. It is, however, adapted forgeneral use.

The main feature of the invention lies in making such Sorel cementproducts or coatings more water resistant as well as to prevent orovercome certain objectionable features.

Sorel cement products as ordinarily made are 5 subject to a number ofobjections which greatly hamper their application and usefulness. Themain objections are disintegration or reduction in strength by water ormoisture, blooming, and warping.

Such objections are especially applicable to the use of Sorel cementproducts for surfacing floors, such as cement floors, to which linoleum,rubber products, or other floor coverings are to be cemented; and alsoto the use of Sorel cement 5 products as plaster or wall coverings towhich wall paper or other fabricated coverings are to be applied orwhich are coated with oilor water paints, lacquers, etc. In fact, suchobjections have substantially prevented the commercial use of Sorelcement products for such locations.

My invention overcomes these difficulties and moreover, enables thecoverings or coatings to be applied much sooner than in the case, forexample, of Portland cement, which requires a long 5 delay for dryingbefore applying such coverings or coatings.

After long experimentation upon the introduction of emulsions orsuspensions of water resistant materials in the Sorel cement mixture, I

have found a method by which the above mentioned difliculties may beovercome and permanent water resistant properties imparted to Sorelcement products, as well as greatly hastening the time of drying beforecoatings or coverings are applied. This result is obtained by observingthe following conditions:

1. The water repellant substance should be stable and unaltered byatmospheric agencies of all kinds or by the constituents of the Sorelcement mixture.

2. The emulsion or. suspension of the water repellant agent should beprecipitated, "cracked" or flocculated in place; d such cracking orflocculating should be ersible and should yield no lay-products that arealtered by atmospheric agencies or are soluble in or softened by wateror that react unfavorably with the Sorel cement constituents.

3. The precipitation, cracking or flocculation of the emulsion orsuspension should be brought 5 about at the time of making the Sorelcement mixture, mortar or plastic mass preceding its pouring or othermeans of application.

As an example of water repellant materials conforming to the firstcondition, I will mention 10 the petroleum hydrocarbons of the paraffinseries.

I do not, however, desire to limit myself to the use of such materials,but may use other materials which remain stable and unaltered under theconditions of use, and are capable of being It; brought into the form ofan emulsion or colloidal suspension.

As regards the second condition, I would point out that, if thecracking, precipitating or flocculating material remains as aconstituent of 20 the composition, the reforming of an emulsion orsuspension is prevented, if the substance be subsequently subjected tothe action of water or moisture. Hence, it is desirable to use somenormal constituent of the cement or binder as a 25 cracking agent. Wherethis is not possible, I prefer to add to the mixture, prior to bringingin contact with the emulsion a suitable cracking agent which will act tocrack or flocculate the emulsion and yet will yield no by-products of an30 objectionable character, such as are formed in the use of soaps offatty acids in connection with Portland cement, as above referred to. Ido not intend, however, to limit myself to any particular cracking orflocculating agent, so long as the 35 agents used will form nodeleterious by-product nor introduce materials which tend to weaken thecomposition or contribute to water absorption or disintegration by theaction of water.

,In carrying out my invention in connection with a material or binder ofa general Sorel cement type with or withoutaggregate, I introduce intothe mixture, for example, an appropriate amount of an emulsioncontaining a water repellant agent, such as an emulsion of oil and 45water. Some cheap petroleums contain natural emulsifying agents (such ascertain sulphonic acids or their derivatives), and these may be mixed updirectly with the water; or an oil may be made into an emulsion with asolid, such as 5 talc, as for example, in a grinding mill; or the waterrepellant material, such as oil, may be dispersed in water by means ofaluminum hydroxide; or the water repellant material, such as oil, may bedispersed in a liquid suspension wholly by mechanical agencies, as by asuitable colloid mill. In this case, the magnesium chloride of the Sorelcement mixture will act to crack the emulsion in place without theformation of any deleterious by-product. For example, I have, prepared adry mixture of Parts Standard 20-30 mesh Ottawa sand 5 Silex (120 mesh)2 Plastic calcined magnesite 1 Magnesium chloride with 6 parts of waterof crystallization 1 I then prepared an emulsion of oil by agitatingwith water an oil/containing natural emulsifying agents. Such oils arewell known in, the trade and are common in petroleum fractions fromcertain districts. The oil is usually in the ratio of about one part ofoil to nine parts of water, although this ratio may be widely varied.This emulsion was then added to the dry mixture above described to anamount suflicient to form a paste or mortar and the mixing continueduntil the magnesium chloride passed into solution. As the magnesiumchloride dissolved, the oil particles dispersed through the liquidconstituent tended to separate and effectually wet or coat the solidparticles. These oil particles had little or no eflect in decreasing theSorel reaction of the magnesium chloride with the magnesium oxide. Thisis shown by the fact that the addition of the emulsion did notmaterially affect the strength of the resultant material. The waterformed in cracking evaporates.

Products thus produced lose but 10% to 20% of their tensile strength onexposure to water, while when ordinary Sorel cement is used, thedecrease in strength is much greater and more rapid.

It will be noted that in the above example the cracking agent formed apart of the binder, but I may add a cracking agent such as any wellknown electrolyte, in cases where the binder is of such a nature thatthis is needed in order to effectuate the cracking of the waterrepellant emulsion.

I am aware that the alkaline earth salts of the sulphonic acids are ingeneral soluble, but on leaching products prepared in the mannerdescribed with water, no sulphonate of the alkaline earth is dissolved.For this reason, I infer that some compound other than a solublesulphonate of an alkaline earth is produced and that this compound issubstantially insoluble in water.

The water repellant material used in my emulsion or suspension may be oforganic, inorganic, or mixed type so long as the same complies with theabove requirements. The emulsion or suspension may be prepared in anydesirable manner so long as the above conditions are complied with. Forexample, from 1% to 3% of a suitable water repellant material such asparafiin wax may be brought into a highly dispersed'condition in waterby treatment in a colloid mill or dispersed through the medium of acolloid such as specially prepared zinc hydroxide (as by dialyzing). Thewater repellant agent may be ground with a solid such as talc and withwater in a suitable trituration apparatus, such as a colloid mill. Theemulsion should be cracked without chemical change of the waterresistant materials and preferably by the action of the excess magnesiumchloride of the Sorel cement. With any emulsion where it is not possibleto crack without chemical change I crack in such a way as to produceby-products,

all of the non-volatile portions of which are water repellant.

I may employ water resistant materials, such as cellulose nitrate orcellulose nitrate in conjunction with suitable solvents. If a solvent is5 used, the nitrate solution may be dispersed by means of appropriateemulsifying agents. Natural and artificial waxes, bitumens, and certainclays will all yield favorable resultsunder appropriate conditions. Inall cases, in order to obtain my 10 improved results, the suspension ofwater repellant material should not contain material which materiallyweakens the article and must be cracked in place. Furthermore, theremust be no deleterious by-products set up in the cracking operation, andthe cracking must be of such a nature that the precipitation effectedthereby is irreversible in the presence of water.

The materials above recited will act as water repellant agents in thefinal article, which agents are stable under the conditions of use, thecracking also being irreversible.

When my improved process is applied to Sorel cement products theproducts show a marked improvement in resistance to disintegration orbe- 25, ing affected by water or moisture, the blooming or growth ofsurface incrusations is eliminated, and by proper application warpingmay be greatly reduced or entirely eliminated. Blooming in Sorel cementproducts is probably due to an actual transfer of excess magnesium saltsto or toward the surface through the medium of excess water which iseither not dried out of the product or has been taken up by hygroscopicaction from moist atmosphere. The presence of the waterproofing materialapplied as above set forth probably causes impervious barriers in thematerial which hinder or entirely prevent transfer of moisture or salts,thus preventing blooming. The reducing or stoppage of warping is alsoprobably due to prevention of transfer of water or moisture through thearticle.

When my improved water resistant Sorel cement material is used forplaster, it will usually be sufliciently dry within forty-eight hours tobe coated with paint, lacquer, wall paper or other covering. Similarly,when used as a surface for under flooring or as an under coat or base,floors, linoleum, rubber tile or flooring may be attached to it by asuitable hinder or cement after a period of only two or three days afterapplying the plastic flooring. Moreover, no disintegration of the glue,paste or cementing material is observed as has been the case with suchunder floors here- 301016.

Such Sorel cement products have a wide field of use since a quicksetting cement material is provided which loses its moisture within ashort time, yields a product free from objectionable strongly alkalineproperties, has exceptional strucv tural strength, is fireproof, doesnot disintegrate with time, does not destroy color pigments admixed withor applied to it, and does not react injuriously with paints, lacquers,pastes, glues, cements and the like which may be applied in contact withit. Such Sorel cement articles are not only highly water resistant buthave the strength generally required in building materials and avoid orgreatly reduce blooming or warping of such plastics. v

By the terms Sorel cement" in my claims I intend to cover the ge ralSorel cement type of binder; andby the t% ;emulsion" I intend to cover afinely divided ension of the water repellant material whichis'pr'eferably in the form 7 of a colloidal suspension whether liquid orpasty. The emulsion may be prepared either from a solid or a solution ofa solid, such for example, as an emulsion prepared from a solution ofparaffin and benzol which may be formed into an emulsion or colloidalsuspension when added to water. The cracking or flocculating may becarried out either by constituents of a Sorel cement or by an addedcracking agent; provided the above conditions are complied with.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of Sorel cement compositions, the steps consistingof adding thereto an emulsion of a water resistant stable material of acharacter which does not materially affect the chemical reaction betweenthe magnesium oxide and the magnesium chloride,.cracking the waterresistant ingredient within the Sorel cement mixture by means of acracking agent, and producing a water repellant Sorel cement article.

2. In the manufacture of Sorel cement compositions, the steps consistingof mixing an aggregate with a binder of the Sorel cement type,

incorporating in the mixture an emulsion contain-' ing a water resistantstable constituent of a character which does not materially affect thechemical reaction between the magnesium oxide and the magnesiumchloride, and cracking the emulsion in the Sorel cement mixture by meansof a cracking agent.

3. In the manufacture of Sorel cement compositions, the steps consistingof adding thereto an emulsion of a water resistant stable material of acharacter which does not materially affect the chemical reaction betweenthe magnesium oxide and the magnesium chloride, cracking the waterresistant ingredient within the Sorel cement mixture by means of acracking agent, and producing a water repellant article in which all ofthe non-volatile products of cracking are water resistant and stable.

4. In the manufacture of Sorel cement compositions, the steps consistingof forming a Sorel cement composition and also containing an emulsion ofa water resistant stable material of a character which does notmaterially affect the chemical reaction between the magnesium oxide andthe magnesium chloride, and cracking the emulsion of the water resistantconstituent by an element of the Sorel cement mixture while producingcracked products, all the non-volatile portions of which are waterresistant and stable.

5. As anew article of manufacture, a Sorel cement composition containingthe cracked water resistant stable constituents of an emulsion, saidconstituents being of a character which does not materially affect thechemical reaction between the magnesium oxide and the magnesiumchloride.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a Sorel cement compositioncontaining the cracked water resistant stable constituents of anemulsion said constituents being of a character which does notmaterially affect the chemical reaction between the magnesium oxide andthe magnesium chloride, all of the non volatile portions of which arewater repellant and stable.

7. As a new article of manufacture, aggregates cemented together by abinder of the Sorel cement type and containing the cracked waterresistant stable constituents of an emulsion said constituents being ofa character which does not materially affect the chemical reactionbetween the magnesium oxide and the magnesium chloride.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a continuous layer for a buildingwall or floor formed of a Sorel cement mixture containing the crackedwater resistant stable constituents of an emulsion and adapted to serveas a base for another coating or covering said constituents being of acharacter which does not materially affect the chemical reaction betweenthe magnesium oxide and the magnesium chloride.

9. The process which comprises mixing a separately prepared emulsion ofbituminous materials with a mixture of calcined magnesite, magnesiumchloride and a filler.

HIRAM S. LUKENS.

